{"id":148,"date":"2023-03-30T14:49:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-30T14:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gilect.com\/blog\/?p=148"},"modified":"2023-03-30T02:58:01","modified_gmt":"2023-03-30T02:58:01","slug":"dont-buy-a-domain-before-you-read-this","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gilect.com\/blog\/2023\/03\/30\/dont-buy-a-domain-before-you-read-this\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t Buy a Domain Before You Read This"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Buying a domain is an integral part of setting up a website. It might seem daunting to pick a domain name at first, but once you read this article you\u2019ll be good to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article will teach you everything you need to know about how to find a good domain name, what to do if the domain you want isn\u2019t available, and where you can go to register a cheap domain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding a name<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you already have a name in mind, that\u2019s great! You can check if it\u2019s available on our free domain checker tool<\/a>. But if you don\u2019t, make sure you come up with one that you like, as most domains aren\u2019t usually refundable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When deciding on a domain, try to make it as short as possible. If you can limit yourself to five to ten letters, that\u2019s great, but if not, try not to exceed two words. For example, our domain is \u201cgilect.com<\/a>.\u201d It\u2019s short and easy to memorize. If you run a bakery called \u201cAnne\u2019s Cakes,\u201d you could consider \u201cannescakes.com.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you find that your business name is not available, you can try targeting keywords or locations. If you are located in New York, you might want to go for \u201cannescakesny.com\u201d or \u201ccakesnewyork.com.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember that when it comes to domains, less is more. Of course, however, make sure that the domain is easy to memorize and makes sense. You can have a super short domain such as \u201chtrxf.com,\u201d but it wouldn\u2019t be super fun to type, and would be difficult to remember.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stay away from numbers and hyphens<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If your dream domain is taken, you might be tempted into adding a hyphen. For example, \u201cannes-cakes.com\u201d However, this makes your domain harder to memorize and say out loud. If you heard on the radio \u201cAnne\u2019s Cakes dot Com,\u201d you probably wouldn\u2019t assume there would be a hyphen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same applies to numbers. It is easy to get confused about whether the number is supposed to be a numeral or if it\u2019s supposed to be written out. For example, \u201csquarenine.com\u201d and \u201csquare9.com.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Country Code domains<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If your business is local, you should consider a ccTLD (Country-code top-level-domain.) This helps you target a specific area or country. For example, if you run a store in Toronto, you could register \u201cmystore.ca.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try aiming for .com<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Nearly every website ends in .com: google.com, office.com, and twitter.com just to name a few. .com is by far the most popular domain extension, which means that it\u2019s the most memorable. When people think of a website, they usually automatically associate it with .com. There\u2019s a reason why smartphone keyboards have a dedicated .com button. Additionally, people often associate .com  with trust, since it\u2019s something they almost always encounter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This also means that plenty of .com domain names are already taken (or are being sold at ridiculously high prices.) If you find that you can\u2019t register a .com domain at all, and country code domains aren\u2019t well suited to your business, you could try alternatives like .net or .xyz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are also thousands of domain extensions out there that fit almost any niche. Some popular ones include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n